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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
I did like this story, is this going to be a series?
I thought that the characters were good, but not really well defined. That being said I still liked them and wanted for more by the end. If this becomes a series I definitely want to read about River. Definitely twisted in a lot of ways, and some good twists.
I thought that the characters were good, but not really well defined. That being said I still liked them and wanted for more by the end. If this becomes a series I definitely want to read about River. Definitely twisted in a lot of ways, and some good twists.
the red flags were there but oh my god it was pretty good. would read again this is defo one of my new top authors
I didn't like that they didn't accept their feelings
3.5 stars — After reading a couple other books by the same author, I feel like I've come to know their style quite well. This book delivered the same dark, gritty, serious, and emotional themes that I've become familiar with. I liked the dynamic between Javi and Bella, though I didn't fully find it buyable towards the second half of the book. The plot and villain in this book was not as captivating to me as their relationship, so I was glad that Zavarelli's style is to always focus more on the characters rather than a plot-driven story. That being said, the story was really not there for me in this one.
Spoiler
And towards the end of the book Zavarelli pulls the same plot maneuver twice, which just felt a little contrived to me.
I did complete this book, but I am not going to rate it or write a review. I don't think I am the right audience for this book. It's definitely a case of "it's not the book, it's me". This is an extremely dark book. It is very different that the Boston Underworld series, which I liked. This is more like a horror/romance. If I had known this, I wouldn't have read this book. The Beauty and the Beast story line was interesting. I just couldn't buy into a romance in this situation.
Triggers:
*arc provided in exchange for an honest review*
Triggers:
Spoiler
multiple rape, humiliation, blood play /cutting during rape, Stockholm syndrome, kidnapping, multiple torture practices (kneeling on rice, sleep deprivation by sound, being kept in a cage), and a bunch more things that I couldn't get on board with.*arc provided in exchange for an honest review*
I am in love with this book, what an end!!! It had me all twisted up, I highly recommend everyone to read it.
I had all this mixed feelings towards Javier, he is an anti-hero but you cannot not like him. And Bella's character is perfect, she is such a strong heroine. Prepare yourselves as this is one very dark twisted story. You will cry, you will want to throw things at a wall, you will love this story.
10 BIG Stars
I had all this mixed feelings towards Javier, he is an anti-hero but you cannot not like him. And Bella's character is perfect, she is such a strong heroine. Prepare yourselves as this is one very dark twisted story. You will cry, you will want to throw things at a wall, you will love this story.
10 BIG Stars
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
DNF@25%!
Too dark!!!
This guy is no anti-hero. He is nowhere near the vicinity of any shade of a hero. He may work his way to it somewhere further along in the book, but I won't be there to read it!
Too dark!!!
This guy is no anti-hero. He is nowhere near the vicinity of any shade of a hero. He may work his way to it somewhere further along in the book, but I won't be there to read it!
Method: ebook
Rating: 3/5 stars
H rating: 3/5 - Javier
h rating: 3/5 - Bella
Drama: 4/5 - Lots of drama and I honestly kinda got lost there for a bit.
Thoughts: Very twisted but honestly I kinda really liked it. It was different from what I am currently in the middle of so I am all too happy for the palate cleanser.
This was just an OK book for me. My biggest issue with it is just that there's too much happening "behind the scenes", so it doesn't feel super cohesive, and the relationship building doesn't feel good enough for them to actually be in love by the end.
The book starts rather abruptly with Isabella, the winner of an American Idol type show, running through reporters who want to know about her kidnapped father. It's a bit of a heavy storyline to jump right into, and it's not really clear why he was "kidnapped". We later find out he works for "The Agency", which is some super secret assassin creating organization or something. It's never really clear in the book what the agency actually does except kill people.
We also learn that there was some boy, Javi, that Isabella's dad used to visit all the time, and she wants to meet with him to find out if he knows anything about her father's disappearance. Why she thinks he'd know? I have no idea. While she seems to know her dad does some kind of work that requires him to leave her for stretches of time, she never mentions that Javi might be working with him. In fact, she knows very little about him except that she's always been jealous about his relationship with her father. Honestly, I really wish the author had added in a few chapters at the beginning of the book to explain all of this stuff better. We get little flashes throughout the book, but they're not very comprehensive, and I really wanted to understand the dynamics of all of that more.
For whatever reason, Javi decides he wants to take his revenge on Bella's father by kidnapping her and "breaking" her. He starts by putting her in a room with just a piano and a bucket and asks her to play for him. For some reason that's also not explained well, Bella fears playing the piano ever since being on the singing show, or before the show... Honestly I really don't know. It didn't make sense to me. Anyway, she refuses, Javi leaves, and then he forces her to watch entertainment news shows talking badly about her!
I don't know, there were some awful things Javi did to her, but the author didn't really give them enough time for them to feel disturbing. Like, in the piano room, Bella says shes in there for days and days, but the reader only gets a few pages, so when Javi takes her out and she's already like "I'm so broken. Please, I'll do anything you want," it kind of feels like...
Truthfully, I didn't really enjoy Bella much. She's like those chicks in horror movies that always go into the basement. She's just kind of cannon fodder for the real story, which is Javi learning to let go of his past. Javi was a much more interesting character, and of course had a super terrible back story that makes you feel really sorry for the guy.
Anyway, there were a few dark bits, some good stuff, some bad. A few twists and turns that are unexpected. I think the story was interesting enough and had lots of potential, but it just didn't come together perfectly for me. The last 25% was much more exciting than the front part, so in the end, I enjoyed it even though I had some issues with it.
The book starts rather abruptly with Isabella, the winner of an American Idol type show, running through reporters who want to know about her kidnapped father. It's a bit of a heavy storyline to jump right into, and it's not really clear why he was "kidnapped". We later find out he works for "The Agency", which is some super secret assassin creating organization or something. It's never really clear in the book what the agency actually does except kill people.
We also learn that there was some boy, Javi, that Isabella's dad used to visit all the time, and she wants to meet with him to find out if he knows anything about her father's disappearance. Why she thinks he'd know? I have no idea. While she seems to know her dad does some kind of work that requires him to leave her for stretches of time, she never mentions that Javi might be working with him. In fact, she knows very little about him except that she's always been jealous about his relationship with her father. Honestly, I really wish the author had added in a few chapters at the beginning of the book to explain all of this stuff better. We get little flashes throughout the book, but they're not very comprehensive, and I really wanted to understand the dynamics of all of that more.
For whatever reason, Javi decides he wants to take his revenge on Bella's father by kidnapping her and "breaking" her. He starts by putting her in a room with just a piano and a bucket and asks her to play for him. For some reason that's also not explained well, Bella fears playing the piano ever since being on the singing show, or before the show... Honestly I really don't know. It didn't make sense to me. Anyway, she refuses, Javi leaves, and then he forces her to watch entertainment news shows talking badly about her!
I don't know, there were some awful things Javi did to her, but the author didn't really give them enough time for them to feel disturbing. Like, in the piano room, Bella says shes in there for days and days, but the reader only gets a few pages, so when Javi takes her out and she's already like "I'm so broken. Please, I'll do anything you want," it kind of feels like...
Truthfully, I didn't really enjoy Bella much. She's like those chicks in horror movies that always go into the basement. She's just kind of cannon fodder for the real story, which is Javi learning to let go of his past. Javi was a much more interesting character, and of course had a super terrible back story that makes you feel really sorry for the guy.
Anyway, there were a few dark bits, some good stuff, some bad. A few twists and turns that are unexpected. I think the story was interesting enough and had lots of potential, but it just didn't come together perfectly for me. The last 25% was much more exciting than the front part, so in the end, I enjoyed it even though I had some issues with it.